With the heavy metal genre having long enjoyed a great deal of popularity in the Balkans and Eastern Eurpope, Megadeth is one iconic group that still has a following in the region
Photo: Alterna 2 / Flickr.com
The band famously toured through some countries in this area during the 2011 European Carnage Tour and represents just the sort of music that so many people in these countries love. And that is exactly why all of the recent changes and announcements from the band ought to be of interest.
Frankly, for much of 2014, it looked a little bit like Megadeth may be winding down. The 2013 album Super Collider was a fairly strong effort, but it didn’t make significant waves beyond the already established fan base. Then toward the end of the year, guitarist Chris Broderick and drummer Shawn Drover left the group. According to Revolver, they departed as a means of pursuing their own musical interests. These were by no means the first departures the band has dealt with over the years. One has to wonder how a group that’s been around this long can overcome these changes, though.
Indeed, by the end of 2014 Megadeth could have been poised to ease into a retirement in which it was still glorified as one of the great metal bands of the genre’s heyday. The 2013 live album Countdown to Extinction serves as a great tribute to the band’s live brilliance, and it could have been a nice way to see them off. There’s even an online video game that acts as a tribute to the band in a way that’s normally reserved for acts that are done performing. The Megadeth slot game, which you can view here, features a “head crusher bonus” and quotes from frontman Dave Mustaine. While it’s an entertaining spin on this particular gaming experience, it almost feels like a blast from the past. And it’s these sort of tributes and bits of entertainment that have helped to make Megadeth feel primed for retirement.
Despite the departure of key members and a video game and live album that resemble nods to the band’s past, Megadeth plays on. Fans in the Balkans and Eastern Europe will be excited to know that it appears that yet another album is in the works. Word began circulating toward the end of 2014 that the band would not be on the road much in 2015, and it was easy to assume that one reason for this was that the guitarist and drummer had just left. However, it looks like that time off the road will be used to work on a new project!
Music Times posted a story featuring a cryptic tweet from Mustaine in which he claimed fans would be very excited if they knew what was going on. The post also notes that Megadeth has released music every two years since 2007, meaning new music is due in 2015 if they stay on this cycle. Following comments in December in which David Ellefson revealed that the band would be spending much of the new year in the studio, it seems to be all but confirmed that a new record is indeed on the way.
